EQ
The EQ is the first unit in each deck’s effect rack. It shapes the deck’s sound with a low shelf, a sweepable mid band and a high shelf. Its faceplate is the PQ-3 Parametric Equaliser, and its screen draws the resulting EQ curve.
It is separate from the DJ EQ in the mixer drawer. The mixer drawer’s EQ comes before the crossfader and is built for kills; this one comes after the crossfader and is built for shaping, with a mid band you can tune.
Controls
Section titled “Controls”| Control | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | -15 dB to +15 dB | 0 dB | Shelf below 120 Hz: boosts or cuts the bass. |
| Mid | -15 dB to +15 dB | 0 dB | Boosts or cuts a band around the Freq setting. |
| Freq | 200 Hz to 5 kHz | 1 kHz | Centre frequency of the mid band. |
| High | -15 dB to +15 dB | 0 dB | Shelf above 7 kHz: boosts or cuts the treble. |
| Mix | 0 to 100% | 100% | Balance between the dry deck and the EQ’d sound. |
The strip’s readout shows the mid band’s frequency.
Using it
Section titled “Using it”- Find a sample’s sweet spot. Boost Mid and sweep Freq until the part of the scratch sample you want to hear jumps out, such as the bite of a vocal “ahh”. Then bring Mid back down to a modest boost.
- Make the scratch cut through. A few dB of High helps a scratch sample sit on top of a busy beat.
- Thin it out. Cut Low and High and boost Mid around 1 to 2 kHz for a thinner, mid-focused scratch that stays out of the beat’s bass and cymbals.
Because the EQ is the first unit, it also changes what the units after it hear. Boosting Low before the Drive makes the bass distort more; cutting it keeps the drive tighter.